2011 to 2013

I slipped in a couple of completions under the wire yesterday, the last day of my list, so let me tackle those first:

73. Get oven proof bowls and make five different soups — CompletedLast night we made a recipe from one of my magazine purchases — Potato Leek Soup with Kielbasa Sausage. It was yummy, but something I think we’d make some changes to in the future.

65. Have professional photos taken of the hubs and me — Completed in EffectI decided to abandon the idea of having professional photos taken. The hubs wasn’t all that comfortable with the idea, and we really didn’t want to be spending that kind of money on pictures right now. So I enlisted the help of my own big fancy camera and lens from #78 and the lovely Katie W. Yesterday, we headed out to the botanical gardens to take a few pictures to celebrate our fifth anniversary. Thanks for the help, Katie!

It has been 1002 days — 33 months — since I started this list. I think that setting myself goals for a specific period of time has really helped me recognize all of the changes that happen in what feels like the same-old, same-old day-to-day. My first list started before I got married, moved, and started telecommuting for work. This list covered moving to our new location, the hubs starting his job post-grad-school, and buying a house. Goals from both lists still feel relevant and challenging to me — even ones that I didn’t attempt over the course of either list. I think they help me focus on myself in positive and constructive ways. I think it’s time to start thinking about what to put on my next list.

89. Do a crafty/handy project for our new home – Completed 2/21/11, 10/2013I completed this goal with a craft project for our rental house in this area, and I really wanted to complete it with a handy project for the house we bought. I’ve done a couple of handy projects at this point, but the first one is still the best. I’m counting restaining our bathroom cabinets as my handy project completion. Before:

After:

90. Make my own Italian-style pasta — Completed in EffectA long while back, the lovely Katie W. and the best friend and I had a little cooking weekend with another friend at my townhouse. We made homemade noodles, which miss being Italian-style pasta only because we couldn’t find the proper flour. We also made three different sauces. It was a really fun afternoon.

92. Buy new full size bookshelves and organize them – Completed 10/6/11, 10/2013We bought new bookshelves and created one of our favorite rooms in the house. We bought five Billy bookcases from IKEA, backed them with beadboard panels, caulked the panels to polish up the final look, and added IKEA cabinet lights as library lighting. I really love them. We’ve finally got a bit of room to grow on our shelves, and I enjoy having a cup of tea in there before work some mornings. They really are pretty impressive, I think:

93. Get a manicure and pedicure — not for a wedding – Completed 6/27/11

94. Buy an article of clothing or an accessory through an independent seller or Modcloth –Completed 9/29/11

95. Make and linger over a new fondue recipe – Completed 2/19/11

97. Find a new salon/stylist to be loyal to — CompletedI have found a salon to be loyal to, and I’m excited to be headed back there (hopefully this week) for a fun, new haircut. Another list over, five years of marriage — it’s time to make some changes around here!

99. Finish my solo game of Super Mario Bros Wii – In ProgressI’m really bad a video games, and this got to the point were it wasn’t fun challenging anymore, it was just frustrating. Plus, I didn’t have as much down time over the past two years as I’ve had in the past.

In which I round up my completions and progress on this list from goals seventy-five through eighty-six.

75. Develop an effective 15-minute work break – Completed in EffectI’ve been working on many different types of breaks, but now that it is getting a little bit cooler, I’m really looking forward to just stepping outside on our deck for a cup of tea. Time to really use that new(ish) deck furniture.

81. Get a plant to flourish in bedroom, office, living room — must live for three months – Completed 1/12

82. Complete five years of my book log – Completed 1/2013

83. Eat three things I’ve never tried before – Completed 5/12

85. Learn to locate five new constellations and the myths behind them – In ProgressBut just barely.

86. Get a fun new treat piece of jewelry — Completed 7/12/2013I got a lovely, delicate new necklace with a pearl pendant for our anniversary — pearl is the hubs’s birthstone. You can kind of see it in this photo from our dinner that night:

In which I round up my completions and progress on this list from goals sixty-three through seventy-three.

63. Travel out of the country again with the hubs – Completed 5/17-29/12, 8/28-9/10/13We traveled to Ireland in 2012:

And to the Netherlands, Belgium and Paris in 2013:

Travelling has been important to me. I think that we need the challenge and new experiences to help us buck the comfortable routines and ruts that feel inevitable at home. I love getting ideas for our house and our lives and trying to go home and bring a little bit of that excitement back with us. (As I type this, I’m sitting in front of a massive flower arrangement that I put together. Our house has been full of flowers since we got back, and I love it. Such a big happiness payoff for a little money.)

66. Go to a baseball game with the hubs – CompletedI almost didn’t remember that I’d completed this one, but I’m disappointed that it was only one time. We live in a town with minor league baseball, so tickets are close and cheap — and there shouldn’t be any excuse. Instead, the only game we went to was out at the lovely Katie W’s neck of the woods. We had a great time, especially now that an unfortunate loss of a jacket has been rectified on ebay.

67. Visit a National Park that I’ve not been to – Completed in Effect 7/2013The hubs and I took a long weekend on the Eastern Shore to celebrate our fifth anniversary. While we were there, we went to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge. So those are not technically National Parks, but they definitely complete my goal. I’d intended to get out and do something new around our new area, and get outside with the hubs.

68. Identify five must-visit places in our new location and visit them – In ProgressOn a related note, I came really close to almost completing my visits to five places in our new location. (How’s that for ambiguous?) A quick run-down:

1. Go to the glass blowing studio and attend a gallery walk at the Chrysler Museum.
Well, I haven’t been to the glass studio yet, so that part is solidly not completed. But I’d count the second half as completed in effect — the museum closed for renovations, but we did attend the closing party. I think this goal might roll onto my next list.

2. Go to a professional show.
We went to the travelling Jersey Boys to celebrate my birthday.

3. Spend a day or weekend on the Eastern Shore.
Anniversary weekend!

4. Fly a kite on Mount Trashmore
And this is the one that drags me all the way away from a semi-completed status. I didn’t touch this one.

5. Visit Beach Brewing Company
We’ve done this enough times that we just got one of our last growlers of beer for free and started a new loyalty card. Yummy and fun.

69. Join a new group/membership – Completed 5/5/12

70. See another show on Broadway – Completed 8/15/11

72. Treat myself to a new magazine five separate times – Completed 9/2013This month I’ve actually purchased three new magazines. I picked up an America’s Test Kitchen Simple Recipes, which we’ve already started cooking from. I bought the September issue of Vouge — the huge one — and hoped to find a good add with a similar haircut to the one I’m hoping to get next week. And then I hedged my bets on that and bought the In Style Beauty magazine that focuses on haircuts.

53. Have a date once per month for six months in a row – Completed 7/2012 – 1/2013This was an easy goal to become a habit . Some months we had big dates, like going for a weekend away in July to celebrate our anniversary; some we had smaller but still memorable dates, like attending the closing-for-renovations party at our local art museum in December (photo below); and some we had simple out for dinner-and-drinks dates. It was especially helpful to make getting out and focusing on each other a priority in the crazy months of moving into our house.

54. Empty all the moving boxes within three months of the move – CompletedI had two chances at completing this one, and I finally did it on my second move of the list. I still have some things in boxes that are waiting to find homes, but I went though every box and reorganized so that they weren’t weighing me down in the new house.

57. Get a tag from a giving tree and donate gifts – Completed 11/27/11

59. Go to the movies five times with the hubs – Completed 7/2011

60. Comment on friends’ blogs at least once per week for the entire list – Completed in EffectI really think that working with friends on the 101 lists is so much fun. I feel like I keep in touch on a much deeper level when I read about and talk to them about what they are focusing on in their lives. It’s hard to do chit-chat emails when things are so busy for everyone, and they are always a bit superficial. I think the 101 helps us cut to things that are challenging, important, or at least on our minds. But, time is not on our sides for the 1001, and certainly not for blogging. So I think this was a good effort, but I can always do better or more.

61. Visit my new nephew – Completed 9/17-18/11, 1/5/12, 1/12/13This ended up being such a fun goal since my family decided to make this happen once a year for this 1001! I visited my first nephew for his first birthday, and for the next two years scheduled visits to meet my new nephew (2012) and new niece (2013), respectively. I was, and am, thrilled to be an aunt to some of the best kids around.